Baachan and her cat

Miyoko Ihara's photos of Fukumaru the cat frolicking with Ms. Ihara's grandmother, Misao, have been published as a collection.





—Mellow Monk

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Photos galore—nature and Japan

Greg du Toit's nature photos are simply amazing, especially if you like animals.


And some of the shots in this collection of Japan photos are wonderful, too.



A lovely photo from James Justin's Japan 2009 collection.


—Mellow Monk

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Japan's smiling dog

At roughly 0:32 in this video, Chiichan's owner asks if he wants to go for a walk, and in response the doggie makes the face that has made him an Internet sensation.




—Mellow Monk

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How to make taiyaki, by Cooking with Dog

"Cooking with Dog" presents how to make taiyaki:




—Mellow Monk

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Magnificent blue koi at Maruoka Castle

—Mellow Monk

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How could you not be mellow at an aquarium like this?

A trip to an aquarium can be a most mellowing day indeed. But if you can't make it to one right now, you can sit back with a cup of green tea and relax to this amazing high-definition video of sea creatures swimming elegantly through a giant tank at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium:





—Mellow Monk

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Japan's cat cafes

Cat cafes—where you can relax with a cup of tea in the company of the establishment's feline employees—are becoming more and more popular in Japan.


If you have a cat or other pet at home, why not include him or her in your next at-home green tea break—break out some catnip or some other special treat and enjoy the relaxing time together.



A pleasurable, relaxing interruption. (There are more pictures accompanying the article: click on the pic to see them all.)


—Mellow Monk

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Mr. Silverback, up close and personal

—Mellow Monk

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Yosuke the parrot

Police in the town of Nagareyama were at a loss about how to return an escaped African gray parrot to its owner, so the bird, tired of waiting, did the natural thing—he recited his name and address.


And when I say "name," I mean Yosuke provided his first and last name to the police.


Not bad, bird.



"I am Yosuke Nakamura, and I live at ..."


—Mellow Monk

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A face only a mother could love: the Amazonian river dolphin

Then again, the Amazonian river dolphins could have personality. And personality goes a long way, yes?



If Jim Henson ever made a Muppet dolphin, it would look like this.


—Mellow Monk

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Jumping dolphins and dancing whales

This pic shows dolphins swimming along with a ship, while this article features pictures of killer whales jumping synchronically out of the water.


Very mellowing.



It's not an Olympic sport ... yet.


—Mellow Monk

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Box-diving Maru redux

Remember Maru, the cardboard box-obsessed cat?


Well, he's back—and taking on bigger challenges:





—Mellow Monk

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Who's a pretty bird?

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the magnificent Gouldian finch.





—Mellow Monk

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Adobe Girl's pics

Here are a couple of photos sent in by customer and Monk's friend Mary Palmer, a.k.a. The Adobe Girl. From her beautiful photographs I can tell her mission is the same as mine—to create more mellow in the world.








—Mellow Monk

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Seiho the painter

The Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art is having an exhibition from its permanent collection of the works of Takeuchi Seiho (1864–1942), who at the turn of the century was considered the leader of modern Japanese painting's Western school.



Takeuchi's "Green Pond" (circa 1927).


—Mellow Monk

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Furuta family photos

Akihiro Furuta has published some interesting and touching photos of his family.



"Love" is the title of this one.


—Mellow Monk

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The yabusame arrows still fly

The ancient art of yabusame—firing arrows from the back of a horse—still thrives in Japan.



A yabusame event in front of the Aso Shrine—not far from the groves where our green tea is grown.


—Mellow Monk

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There's no stopping the shoji cats

A warning to anyone contemplating installing shoji doors in your home: Don't expect them to keep out a determined cat ... let alone two determined cats:






—Mellow Monk

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Bring on the monkeys!

In the wintertime at Nagano's Jigokudani Wild Monkey Park, people come from all over the world to photograph the wild monkeys enjoying the natural hot springs there.







And if walking amongst a large troupe of wild monkeys sounds like your cup of tea, then Mt. Takasaki, in Kyushu's Beppu City, is the place for you:





—Mellow Monk

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Like a hermit crab in reverse: the crabs that house warrior spirits

Speaking of the Heike Monogatari, as anyone who has seen the classic film Kwaidan knows, in the waters where the Taira clan was defeated in a decisive naval battle lives a species of crab that is said to harbor the spirits of the Taira warriors.


This legend arose from a pattern on the crab's shell that — cue the Twilight Zone theme — bears an uncanny resemblance to a human face.



A scene from Kwaidan.


—Mellow Monk

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Maru the box-diving cat — Japan's Internet sensation

The antics of Maru, a very curious Japanese housecat, have become a veritable Internet sensation in Japan. One of my favorites is of Maru box-diving, shown below. Maru has a whole slew of videos here.





—Mellow Monk

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The cat and the smelly sneakers [video]

See how this housecat handles a smelly situation.





—Mellow Monk

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"Deep Quiet" — head-scratching images that are strangely soothing, too. Oh, and more on that cat stationmaster.

This collection of photographs — titled "Deep Quiet" — is a little on the strange side, but they are strangely soothing, too. Great for a green tea break. Here's a sample:







Oh, and remember the story about the Japanese train station with a cat stationmaster? Well, here's a short, English-language video about him:





—Mellow Monk

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Birds and a rare Japanese cat

Submitted for your approval: bird photographs and an article about a rare wild Japanese cat found only on the island of Iriomote.



The rarest of all cats, the Iriomote cat.


—Mellow Monk

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Japanese cathouse — the world's most cat-friendly home?

Modern Cat magazine has done a writeup of what could be the most cat-friendly house in the world — Japan's Plus-Nyan home, one of the models offered by builder Asahi Kasei Homes.


("Nyan," by the way, is the Japanese language's equivalent of "meow.")



This could also be the worst house in the world for a mouse. (Cue the song "Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide.")


—Mellow Monk

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The stray cat who became stationmaster and saved a city

No, it's not the plot of a Japanese animated film; it's the true story of Tama, the stray cat who "adopted" a train station in the small Japanese town of Kinokawa.


After word of the cat spread (thanks to a TV appearance), massive numbers of tourists flocked to the town, giving the local economy a much-needed boost.



"Tickets, please."


—Mellow Monk

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Cat weight lifting [video]

In this segment from a Japanese variety show, the object was to see how big a fish the stray cats in a neighborhood could carry away. What's interesting to see is that at about 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds), some cats give up, while others decide to eat it on the spot instead of carrying it into the bushes.





—Mellow Monk

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Rare birds get a royal send-off in Japan

Japan's Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko recently held a royal "release" ceremony in which 10 crested ibises raised in captivity in China were released into the wild on Sado Island.


In the last couple of decades, Japanese strategy toward a bird that once filled the country's skies have shifted from preservation alone to preservation coupled with active reintroduction.


Fans of our feathered friends might also be interested in this list of nine spectacular flightless birds.



Houston, we have lift-off.


—Mellow Monk

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The baboon-hunting leopard who had a change of heart

A leopard hunting a baboon is unusual in and of itself. But this particular leopard is in for an even bigger surprise at the end of her hunt — and how she reacts to that surprise is simply amazing.






—Mellow Monk

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The iron fireman and the golden tiger

Makoto Nagano, a.k.a., the Iron Fireman, takes on what has to be the world's toughest obstacle course in the hit Japanese TV show "Ninja Warrior":







And take a look at the simply stunning golden tiger:



Here kitty, kitty, kitty.


—Mellow Monk

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Mysterious goblin shark caught on video

Ever seen a goblin shark in action? Well, here's your chance — a video of one of the elusive creatures filmed by a Japanese diver.


Note how the shark's entire jaw pops outward to seize its prey. Remind you of anything?


The audio is in Japanese with no English subtitles, so here's a rough translation of what the narrator is saying:

The shark shoots out its jaw the instant the diver moves his arm away, simulating fleeing prey. The shark holds on tightly, but the diver reported feeling no pain. Then, after the diver removed the jaw from his arm, the shark became calm again, as if nothing had happened. This dive team had spent several months looking for the goblin shark. After this brief encounter, it disappeared back into the darkness of the deep.

—Mellow Monk

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Monkey leads Tokyo's finest on Keystone Cops-esque chase through station

Shibuya Station is one of Japan's busiest rail stations. On an average day, the station is used by over 2 million people — but never any monkeys.


That statistic changed on Wednesday, however, when a lone macaque monkey scurried into the station and took up residence atop a sign for couple of hours.


After the monkey refused to show a ticket or commuter pass, station officials called the police, who despite showing up en mass and with nets and despite giving furious chase, were unable to catch the creature, who scurried past enthralled commuters out of the station and into the crowded city streets.


Most likely the fugitive escaped to Harajuku, where an ordinary monkey would never stand out.


UPDATE:
Yahoo! Japan has a video clip [Windows Media Player format] of the chase. Right after the Great Escape, people near the station began reporting fruits and vegetables going missing from their backyard gardens.



"I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque."


—Mellow Monk

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Swimming with the dolphins in Japan

One of the biggest attraction of Mikurajima — a tiny, unspoiled island hundreds of miles south of Tokyo — are the surroundings waters, which team with dolphins, some of whom have been known to pose for pictures.



"Excuse me, but do any of you know a guy named Flipper?"



Like Yakushima, Mikurajima is a mountainous volcanic island with a coast that is steep, rocky and inaccessible at many points.


—Mellow Monk

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Honeybees in Japan defend seabirds from crafty crows

Japan's crows are tough — too tough for flocks of terns who spend the summer near Narita Airport after migrating from the southern hemisphere.


One day, a local birder who had watched helplessly each year as the crows picked off tern eggs and hatchlings had an epiphany: Honeybees instinctively attack anything dark-colored that comes near their hive, so why not use that instinct to repel the crows from the terns' nests?



Hang in there, Mr. Tern. The honeybees are coming!


—Mellow Monk

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Translucent creatures

National Geographic has a great slideshow of translucent sea creatures.



A comb jellyfish in the dark depths off Antarctica.


—Mellow Monk

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Japan's World Heritage sites

The English-language edition of the Mainichi Daily News has a long, colorful slideshow of Japan's UNESCO World Heritage sites.



Tame deer wander through Nara Park, one of Japan's World Heritage sites.


—Mellow Monk

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The man who saved the Akita

It may be hard to believe now, but back in the mid-1940s, Japan's Akita breed of dog was on the brink of extinction, pushed there by wartime deprivation and the popularity of foreign breeds, such as the German shepherd.


Literally coming to the dogs' rescue was engineer Morie Sawataishi. His tale [get it?] is recounted in author Martha Sherrill's book Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain.


Of the hundred or so Akitas he owned, Sawataishi was closest to one named Samurai Tiger:

Sherrill writes about how Sawataishi, now in his 90s, chokes up when talking about Samurai Tiger, of how a conversation about the spirited dog can occupy an entire night and drain many glasses of sake.

Morie Sawataishi with Kurasawa-Toro.


—Mellow Monk

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Cats playing the theremin

It's a simple filmmaking concept: You buy a Theremin Mini — a scaled-down version of the original theremin — turn it on, stand back, and let your cats discover their hidden musical talents:








—Mellow Monk

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Bulldog nurses tiger

A slideshow of the animal kingdom's oddest couuples includes a French bulldog nursing and raising a baby tiger at Japan's Shirotori Zoo [image search], located in the city of Higashikagawa. The tiger cub had been rejected by his mother.



Hachi the tiger cuddles with his new mom, Nana. Raised on dog's milk, Hachi is just like other tigers — other than a propensity to chase his tail.


—Mellow Monk

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In Japan, clever crows confound communities

Feeding on urban refuse, Japan's crows are thriving.


And these birdbrains are clever. When power companies began removing nests from electric poles because they were causing blackouts, the birds began building decoy nests.


But we should expect as much from a bird that back in the '90s first learned to crack hard nuts by dropping them on roads for cars to run over, then figured out that the best place on a road to drop nuts was in crosswalks [link to video].


If these guys ever figure out the Internet, we could be in serious trouble.



Maybe he's upset that trash collection was early today.


—Mellow Monk

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Spidercat

Here's a video that shows you've got to be careful about what movies you let your cat watch.





—Mellow Monk

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Alligator blood is good for you!

A few days ago I blogged about how green tea can make antibiotics more effective against drug-resistant superbugs.


Well, now comes a story about a superbug cure that sounds like it's straight out of a cheesy horror movie: alligator blood.


Scientists had long wondered why alligators, who are notorious for their bloody territorial fights, seldom get infections from the gory wounds they inflict on each other.


Some researchers finally got around to taking a close look at alligator blood, and what they found was bacteria-fighting blood as tough as the alligators themselves:

Chemists in Louisiana found that blood from the American alligator can successfully destroy 23 strains of bacteria, including strains known to be resistant to antibiotics.

In addition, the blood was able to deplete and destroy a significant amount of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

And if blood from an ordinary alligator can do all that, imagine what pharmacological wonders await discovery in the blood of a standing alligator.



"Uh, sorry Mr. Alligator, but would you hold still a sec while we take a sample of your blood? That's a good alligator."


—Mellow Monk

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Rare ibis seen in Aso, Japan

Reporters and birders in Japan have been flocking [pun intended] to Aso to see a kurotoki, or black-headed ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus), a species rarely seen in Japan. (Its normal habitat is China and Southeast Asia.)


According to this news video [in Japanese only], this individual ibis first appeared in Aso last fall and has been seen in the area almost daily ever since. "He's like a member of the family now," says the woman interviewed.


The news report also says that although the bird seems to have an injured leg, it can still fly and feed itself, so the local branch of the Wild Bird Society of Japan (Yacho no Kai) has decided not to capture it for protective purposes.


The kurotoki ("black toki") is not to be confused with the crested ibis, or just plain toki, which was once common throughout Japan but long ago disappeared from the country's skies. Captive breeding efforts using birds from China are attempting to save the crested ibis from extinction and re-introduce it to Japan.



The rare bird. (Click on the photo to watch the video.)


—Mellow Monk

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Japan's hot-tubbing monkeys

Humans aren't the only ones who've discovered the pure bliss of a nice, hot soak in a natural hot spring. The length and breadth of Japan are dotted with hot springs thanks to the country's many volcanoes, and wild macaque monkeys (or "minkeys," as Inspector Clouseau would say) can be seen bathing in natural hot springs in places such as Nagano.


Another example of hot-spring aficionados in Japan's animal kingdom are the famous hot-spring-bathing capybaras of Ito City.



Movie-star monkeys pose for pictures.



This hot-spring inn is for humans only.


—Mellow Monk

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Warm teapot for a cold budgie

Our budgie, Sunny—who's gotten her own press coverage—is pretty smart. She's figured out that a teapot full of hot green tea is a nice, toasty spot to get warm. On cold nights, whenever she sees a teapot on the table, she flies over and perches on the handle.


(Her cage is open most of the time, although her flight feathers are kept short enough to keep her from flying very far in the event she gets outside—we have a lot of cats in the neighborhood!)




"Mmm ... nice and warm."


—Mellow Monk

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Japanese companies offer pet allowance

With pet ownership on the rise in Japan, companies are beginning to offer employees a pet allowance as an incentive to recruit and retain talent.



She can now get help from her employer to care for Pochi.


—Mellow Monk

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Capybaras enjoy a nice, hot yuzu bath

When you get chilled to the bone on a cold winter's day, there's nothing like a nice hot bath to raise your core temperature.


Well, capybaras apparently appreciate a hot bath, too, because as the photos below show, the capybaras of Izu Shaboten Park in Ito City are famous for the hot yuzu baths they seem to enjoy so much in wintertime.


Yuzu are often plopped into baths for the wonderful natural fragrance they impart to the waters, and for the smooth feeling that the citrus oils impart to the skin.


By the way, a "yuzu bath" is also a cocktail.





Guys, a word of advice: If people start adding sliced-up carrots and onions to the water, GET OUT!



—Mellow Monk

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Japan's electric-eel-powered Xmas lights

At the Aqua Toto Gifu aquarium (famous for its mudskippers), an electric eel powers Christmas tree lights outside of its tank via a copper wire.



Mr. Eel on the job.


—Mellow Monk

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Ultra-popular cat beds made from rice straw

This is the time of year when farmers in Sekikawa Village in Niigata Prefecture get busy weaving one of their most popular local products: cat beds (neko chigura).


Winter tends to be a slow time for farmers—and a time when cats seek warm places to sleep. Way back in 1980, someone in Sekikawa put two and two together and came up with an idea to fill an unmet need and make productive use of the winter downtime: They would take a traditional baby basket, hand-woven with rice straw (which rice farmers have a lot of on hand), and modify it for the village's mice-catching members.


(I suspect that the inventor was inspired by heat-seeking felines napping in the baby baskets the way the cat in the photo below is doing.)


The hand-woven baskets turned out to be a smash hit with cats and their owners, with orders now flooding in from all over Japan. The trouble is, the village's current cohort of 19 weavers can produce only about 500 cat beds a year—not nearly enough to keep up with demand. Consequently, if you want to order one (you can find the contact info here) there's a one-year waiting list.


[Source: Asahi Shinbun. Japanese article here.]



Said the kitty right before he attacked the reporter's legs, "Hey, who said you could take my picture?"


—Mellow Monk

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Doggie "retirement home" opens in Japan

Just like the title says—a retirement home for dogs opens in Japan.



Uh oh, Benji. Looks like Mr. Joe is surfing the Web for a home for retired dog actors.


—Mellow Monk

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In Japan, yoga goes to the dogs--literally

Doga—yoga for dogs—is popular not only in the U.S. but even in Japan, too.

Translations of foreign doga books are selling well, and of course there's even a Japan Dog Yoga Association.

Speaking of Japan's doggie-destressing industry, one Japanese company has invented a patch to tell if a dog is stressed out.



I had no idea my golden retriever, when she sat like this, was practicing doga.


—Mellow Monk

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Japan to get guide-dogs-to-be from Australia

Guide Dogs Victoria recently sent "some of Australia's finest four-legged genes" to Japan to help the blind.



By the time you read this, Faye, Fuji and Vega will be in Japan undergoing guide-dog training.


—Mellow Monk

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In Japan, an aquatic gym to ease Fido's aching joints

An aquatic dog gym opens in Japan. (Click the link to see a movie in the Windows Media or RealPlayer format.)



Now aquasize is going to the dogs.


—Mellow Monk

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Dogs reduce stress

A researcher writing in the British Journal of Health Psychology has found that dog owners tend to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

One reason might be the exercise that human owners get from "walkies." But that's not the only reason:

"It is possible that dogs can directly promote our well-being by buffering us from stress, one of the major risk factors associated with ill-health."

—Mellow Monk

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Panda twins born in Japanese zoo

Mei Mei, a giant panda on loan from China as a goodwill gesture, gave birth to twins at a zoo/amusement park called Adventure World in Wakayama.



Mei Mei with her twins. (In this photo, she's being fed, not muzzled.)


—Mellow Monk

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Angel doggie

The Angel Doggie website has been redesigned.


The artist who runs the site, Galen Hazelhofer, specializes in animal portraits, including "angelized" paintings of pets who have gone on, but she paints other subjects, too.





—Mellow Monk

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